CHIEF MOOSE CUTS LOOSE–LEAVING POLICE SHOOT AT 4; SOME OF DOW’S LEGACY OF MIXED MESSAGES KILLERS GET COMMENDATIONS ortland Police Chief Charles Moose announced in late May that here have been a number of incidents involving deadly Phe would leave the Rose City to Tforce and the Portland Police Bureau since we published become police chief of our April issue. In two of the most recent cases, officers Montgomery County, were wounded during their interactions with Maryland. Moose’s last members of the public. day here was July 28. • On July 15, David Cassel, 38, allegedly shot While there are reasons himself during a standoff with Portland Portlanders should Police. Cassel, according to the July 18 celebrate Moose’s Oregonian, was a paramedic who had departure, there are responded to the July, 1984 shooting spree as many reasons in a McDonald’s restaurant in to be cautious. California. Responding to a call that In his six year Cassel was suicidal, Officer Sze Lai tenure, Moose has came to his door and was met with overseen or been gunfire; Lai was shot twice in the arm directly involved in a number of and was recovering well at last report. disturbing incidents. Among these are: the Two of the three officers responding “beanbag” incident in which African-American citizens briefly with Lai have interesting family ties: brought their protest to the Chief’s house and then became one was Kathleen Pluchos, wife of the targets of “non-lethal” shotgun blasts (August ’98); the deaths of Portland Police Association’s over 20 individuals as a result of police actions, including the president, and another was Mark developmentally disabled Dickie Dow (October ’98); the Chief’s Fortner, the widower of Collen Waibel, who was killed in a temper flashes at media coverage of the Stephen Dons shootout with Stephen Dons in January 1998. (The paranoid incident, despite the fact that the media among us wonder how Fortner reacted to seeing a fellow officer came on the scene after three police shot, and how fully the Medical Examiner investigated whose officers had been shot (January ’98); bullets killed Cassel. We do know that Fortner and the fourth and, perhaps most significantly, officer, Homera Reynaga, fired back into Cassel’s apartment.) the two cases which came to In moves guaranteed to make a suicidal person feel less him from the Police Internal threatened, the police fired teargas into the apartment and Investigations Auditing Com- arranged to have the power cut off (Oregonian , July 16). mittee (PIIAC) in which he • On June 4, Officer Keith Jones was shot in the neck by rejected their findings of police Chief Moose ponders the future 33-year-old Raul Mora from a St. Johns apartment during a misconduct (both in 1997). (continued on p. 8) at City Club (see p.8) domestic violence call. Officer Mark Stevens returned fire, and Mora was wounded in the hand and chest. Jones ANTI-CORPORATE RALLY BECOMES MELEE was hit in muscle tissue only, making him “a very WITH HELP FROM EUGENE POLICE lucky guy” according to Claudia Brown, a hospital n June 18th, activists around the world spokesperson. Mora surrendered “without incident” protested a meeting of the “G-8” (the (Oregonian, June 5). O eight wealthiest industrialized • The Oregonian waited three days to report that six nations) and global corporate dominance. officers were involved in a shooting on Saturday, In Eugene, organizers planned a “Reclaim June 19. Jeffrey Samuel Chilson, age 34, allegedly the Streets” event including speakers, fired at police after they tried to take him into custody microradio broadcasts, and other activities. for fighting with a former lover. He was wounded in What started out as a joyous, the torso and upper leg. Cops were called to the scene rebellious event was INSIDE: because Chilson was said to have fired off three rounds snowballed by the police and • Oregon looks at “driving while black”......2 (the article says officers in the area heard the shots). He was hit “multiple times.” The officers named are: media into an event devoid • PIIAC’s Staff Person Leaves..............3 of its intended issues. Det. Sgt Chris Uehara; Officers Christopher Guzman, • Pepper Spray in the News................6 Although the (continued on p. 9) Colbey Panter, Shawn Gore, (continued on p. 7) PEOPLE’S POLICE REPORT #18 AUGUST 1999 OREGON JOINS OTHER STATES IN LOOKING AT “DRIVING WHILE BLACK” hether there is racially influenced enforcement of traffic laws is a hotly debated topic, Wespecially following lawsuits in New Jersey and Maryland. Although police deny that they engage in racial profiling, the perception among minorities is that police are decidedly racist. In a recent survey in Multinomah County, African Americans gave police a rating of 7.2 (10 being routinely unfair), compared to 4.7 among whites (Oregonian, March 2). Some crucial information is lacking. Currently, statistics on traffic stops are only kept if a citation is issued, which happens over a million times a year. Legislation in the U.S. Congress seeks to record the race, age and gender of all individuals pulled over by police, regardless of whether a citation is given. The data could then be used to identify departments engaging in racial profiling, intentionally or not. This bill is opposed by police lobbying groups, such as the National Association of Police Officers (NAPO). NAPO’s President Robert Scully sees probable cause as an existing “essential safegaurd against racial profiling” (Rap Sheet, June 1999). After all if “it turns out that the individual has done nothing wrong, then that person is free to go.” This argument sidesteps the issue of the vagueness of “probable cause,” and ignores the fact that repeated traffic stops, even if one is free to go, constitute harassment. A 1997 Oregon law (HB 2433) increased police authority to stop and search motorists and mandated that police While black community papers like the Skanner call for action, police departments adopt policies against targeting civilians based “unions” like Portland’s question whether racial profiling exists. on race. This law is being monitored to determine if Oregonians are subjected to race-based profiling. A group of 60 law enforcement officials and civil liberties advocates have admitted that relations In April, Oregon’s legislature formally admitted and apologized for the state’s between minority populations and police are strained, and have history of racism and discrimination, recommended that the legislature approve over $175,000 to study the both on individual and legislative levels. In 1849, it was made illegal for African- problem and monitor complaints. Chief Moose, who is on the Americans to live in the Oregon Territory, committee, emphasized that police deserve credit for admitting the a fact memorialized by a resolution problem, and being willing to discuss it (“Police Must Document passed in Salem. The first civil rights legislation in Oregon was passed in Traffic Stops,” editorial, The Portland Skanner, March 17). 1949, banning employment In light of Oregon’s racist history and local and national efforts, discrimination. (Oregonian, April 21). it is refreshing to know that the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon will be participating in the national program set up by the ACLU to document traffic stops of people of color–“driving while black.” Now, if only we can get them to study police harassment for “walking while black,” “hanging out with friends while black” or “living while black.” For more information, call Juan at the ACLU of Oregon at 503-227-3186. SALEM GETS ORGANIZED n March, Salem residents staged a march from Willamette University to City Hall I to complain about police misconduct. “Latinos, African-Americans and teenagers of all races charged that they’re targeted unfairly by Salem police officers, especially for traffic stops” (Oregonian, March 16). Members of the Hispanic Leadership Group, Latinos Unidos Siempre, the Human Rights Commission, and the NAACP attended the forum, as did the Police Chief, and moderator JoAnn Bowman of Portland. While the Oregonian’s report on the meeting clearly shows Chief Myers being defensive, it also states that the complaints were filed “politely” and predicts some changes in the way Salem police do business. One outgrowth of this march was the formation of “100 Good People,” a multiracial grassroots group which seeks to institute a police review board in Salem. Their mayor has promised that if they can get 1000 signatures asking for a review board and support from the neighborhood associations, he will put the issue before the City Council. Copwatch was invited to speak to 100 Good People in late July. The Salem folks reported they had over 900 signatures. We were able to share some of the work we have been doing since 1992 on this issue, in what seems to be a productive act of networking. For more information or to get involved contact 100 Good People c/o SUPPORT (Support Unified Peaceful Principles and Racial Tolerance) at 503-375-7732 or write PO Box 18599, Salem, OR 97305. page 2 AUGUST 1999 PEOPLE’S POLICE REPORT #18 PIIAC: PORTLAND’S POLICE REVIEW BOARD LOSES ITS FIRST FULL TIME STAFF PERSON; WORK STALLS AGAIN isa Botsko, the first full-time staff person for the Police Internal Investigations Auditing Committee (PIIAC), hired in July 1994 after the Mayor created the new position, left her job on June 5th. Botsko definitely brought about a lot of changes at PIIAC and helpedL the Citizen Advisors stay on track as they heard appeals, reviewed Internal Affairs files, and created quarterly monitoring reports. The city initiated a “limited national search” in June, and Copwatch was allowed to ask questions of the four candidates who came in for interviews at the end of July.